Nightshadow's Mistake (HIATUSED)
by NightAndCream
Summary: Born in ShadowClan, Nightkit wanted to prove that she wasn't a kittypet, and break free from the cruel taunts. She follows the warrior code word for word, but is there such thing as having too much ambition? A dark prophecy arises, pitting Nightkit's leader against her, and Nightkit realizes there's much more to being a warrior than she thought.
1. Prologue

A single bird sang in the trees as the morning sun slowly rose into the sky. The green fern leaves dripped with dew, and the soil was warming up to the sunlight. Several whispers could be heard among the trees, sounding like the breeze that carried through the air that day. Hidden in a small cove, concealed by the undergrowth, were five cats, with fur as bright and sparkling as the sun itself. Their eyes glowed with wisdom that no one could know, and strength flowed into their bodies. A sleek and muscular black she-cat lifted her head, her gaze passing over each other cat slowly.

"You all know why we're here." She announced, her ears twitching slightly.

The other cats nodded, with the same underlying distrust in their eyes. Another, a silver-furred tom, gazed upon the three with distress clear in his twitching tail and tense muscles.

"It seems wrong to be meeting without Skystar!" He blurted out, eyes wide. "Ever since he left the forest, it's as if a giant chunk of our history was just blown away in the wind along with SkyClan. What will we do without the fifth clan?"

"The same as we always did, Riverstar!" A gray tom snarled, his eyes flashing with fury and sadness, as well as a hint of guilt.

Riverstar sighed, his tail brushing the ground as he spoke. "Graywing, I know it's difficult for you to cope with the fact that your brother left you..."

"He said he couldn't stand to think that I had just sit back and let it all happen! That I was just as bad as all of you!" Graywing ignored the hisses and snarls from the cats around him.

A wiry brown she-cat drew up to her full height. " _Silence!_ " She yowled, her words echoing through the trees. The cats around her quieted in an instant at her outburst, and her lips curled slightly into a smile of satisfaction. "Listen to Shadowstar," She meowed, her voice back to its usual volume. "We must discuss what has occured. We cannot dawdle in the past while the present goes by."

Shadowstar nodded, her eyes glinting. "Thank you, Windstar," she murmured, a hint of regret in her eyes. She blinked, and the emotion disappeared like mist in the morning. "There is a danger to all of the clans. One cat will be betrayed by the one cat she thought she could trust." Windstar appeared slightly offended at this, but no cat had taken notice at her quiet outburst, and she regained her imperious look within moments.

"We must warn Swiftstar," She added, passion in her voice as she spoke of the tom. Several others looked displeased, and a tabby tom raised his voice. All eyes turned on him. His paws were just beginning to fade in, and he looked as though he had run a long distance. He had definitely not been there a moment ago.

"Thunderstar." Graywing said affectionately. "I did not expect you to come. I thought you had other things to deal with." Thunderstar answered with only a curt nod, and stared at Windstar, as though the gray tom had not meaning to him. "Windstar, I believe we must all tell our clans of this cat. If she is as dangerous as we think, then all the clans must be warned. Also, may I point out that no one has told me what we will tell our descendants?"

Several cats in the circle glared at him, including Shadowstar. She let out a sigh. "I suppose we would have to tell him eventually." The tone in her voice seemed to suggest she wouldn't have told him at all if he didn't ask.

"Born alone, this kit will witness betrayal from her closest friend. Keep an eye on this kit, because left alone, this kit will corrupt and create more danger than WindClan could ever imagine."

The prophecy resounded around the clearing, giving it a more eerie feeling. Almost at once, Shadowstar started to fade away. She was followed soon by Windstar, Riverstar, and Thunderstar, until the clearing was empty except for Graywing.

He jumped as a bush behind him rustled, and a beautiful golden she-cat with brilliant green eyes entered the clearing. A brilliant white glow surrounded her, bright enough to blind a small animal. A fresh scar ran along her stomach, still dripping blood slightly. Despite her regal appearance and proud stance, her eyes were watery with sadness. "It's you," Graywing meowed, his eyes betraying his surprise and shock. "I knew you would come eventually, but not so soon! You had many moons of life left in you."

The she-cat dipped her head in respect and sat down on her stomach, hiding the wound from sight. "Alas, I thought so too. I died giving birth to my two daughters. I believe they will still fare wonderfully without me."

Graywing recoiled with shock as he took in her words. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but no sound came out. It was as if he had been petrified at that exact moment, as he was absolutely frozen in horror. The golden she-cat didn't noticed his lack of action, and instead said, "Watch over my kit, Graywing."

Her words seemed to echo. A breeze rustles the bushes surrounding the clearing, and the image of the golden she-cat was shattered. The pieces were picked up by the wind and blown away.

It had only been a vision, but that didn't make Graywing feel any better.


	2. Chapter 1

"Nightkit! Nightkit! _Nightkit!_ Gosh, she sleeps through everything!"

"Now, little ones, don't disturb her, she was only brought into this world several days ago! Do you really expect her to just jump to her paws, ready to play?"

"Well, yeah..."

Nightkit stirred slightly. Her black paws twitched.

"Hey, look, she's alive!" Shrieked one of the voices, the noise echoing in Nightkit's ears.

"Look what you've done, you've woken her up! That's not a very nice thing to do, now is it, Frogkit?" An older cat scolded the younger.

Frogkit scuffed the floor angrily. His tail swiped at the floor, announcing that he had turned around to face the other kit that had spoken with him. He mumbled something indistinct to her, that sounded a bit like "Lilykit" and "stupid". A snarl from Lilykit was the almost instant reply.

"Don't call her stupid, both of you!" spat the older cat. Pawsteps echoed slightly around the den, and soon only the she-cat's scent lingered. Frogkit and Lilykit then checked outside the den before approaching Nightkit cautiously, as if they were entering a fox den. Frogkit's paw suddenly slashed out at her in a savage kick.

"But she _is_ stupid, isn't she?" Lilypaw's breath stirred Nightkit's whiskers, as if mocking her. "Nightkit, the stupid little fox-dung-eating, twoleg-loving, _**kittypet**_."

* * *

"Nightkit! Wake up! You don't want Frogkit to beat you to the freshkill pile, _do you?_ " Lilykit's cream tabby face loomed over her, her eyes narrowed into a scowl. Nightkit jumped as though shocked and scrambled up onto her paws. She was extremely small, even though she was nearly 6 moons old. There were many explanations for her size, but probably the most popular was the rumor (or more like fact) that she was a kittypet, and her friends didn't let her forget it. Nightkit pondered over this as she trotted to the freshkill pile, but she was jolted out of them suddenly as she tripped on something very large.

Nightkit uttered a small shriek and tumbled to the ground, doing multiple forward rolls before finally coming to a halt. A kit cackled behind her, and she lifted her dazed head to see Frogkit come into focus behind her. His face was contorted into a twisted smile, and as he bounded past her, he called, "Too slow, kittypet!"

Shaking her head, Nightkit got to her paws without a comment and gave Frogkit a weak purr of laughter. To her, this treatment was completely normal. Several times, a ShadowClan queen had come over to her and asked if she was okay, then walked off, content with Nightkit's short answer of "yes". It seemed like they didn't want to ask her in the first place, the way they would walk over to her very slowly, as if being restrained by an invisible force. On the bright side, they seemed to be able to tolerate her.

Nightkit's paws scuffed the ground irritably. Now that she thought about it, no one in the clan seemed to like her. Was it because she was a kittypet? In fact, _was_ she a kittypet?


	3. Chapter 2

Nightkit ripped the leg of a frog off angrily. Her eyes were narrowed and her tail swished across the ground. She had chosen a small shaded area in a corner of the camp where it was quiet and was running ideas through her head as she ate. _You should see the medicine cat,_ teased a voice in her head. _You must be going insane to think about this!_ Nightkit shook her head irritably, trying to get rid of the sound.

"Watcha doing, Nightkit?" A yowl came to her from above her head. Glancing up, she spotted Frogkit and Lilykit hanging on the branches of the tree several mouse-lengths above. Nightkit glared at them incredulously, an image of chattering squirrels popping up in her head.

"Hey! Hey _Nightkit!_ " Frogkit exclaimed, and Nightkit realized she had staring off into the distance for several moments. Jumping with a start, she soon regretted this action as Frogkit and Lilykit burst into fits of laughter. "Did we scare you, widdle Nightykins?" Lilykit shrieked. Nightkit flattened her ears in embarrassment. She looked really stupid, didn't she? Tail trailing on the ground, she walked away, breaking into a run as the two other kits gave chase. Nightkit turned a corner around a stump in the clearing of the camp and promptly bumped into Molepelt.

"What are you doing?" Molepelt spat at her, shaking his already rumpled black pelt irritably. He turned around, faced Nightkit, and froze immediately. His eyes widened, and he looked at her like he had never seen her before in his life. After he stared at her for several moments, he muttered something that sounded like "mimblewimble" and headed back to the medicine den in a hurried trot.

"What was that all about?" Nightkit was surprised, the last time she had heard Lilykit this confused was when she saw a frog on the freshkill pile for the first time. Nightkit turned to face her denmates and was even more shocked to see that Frogkit was looking even more bewildered than his sister. "Molepelt's never looked at _anyone_ for more than 2 seconds." He said. "He thinks that everyone is cursed." His eyes widened in delight as he processed the words. "Maybe... Maybe Nightkit is _really_ cursed! Maybe he heard a prophecy about her that says she'll be eaten by a giant plant!"

Lilykit and Nightkit both stared at Frogkit. Of all the things he'd ever said, this was probably the stupidest.

* * *

 **How do you like this new chapter, guys? Keep an eye out for chapter 4, coming soon, and don't forget to follow and review! Give suggestions for the next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 3

Nightkit woke up the next morning by being rammed by Lilykit.

"Nightkit! Nighkit! Wake UP!" She screamed. Nightkit rushed to her paws, expecting to see the camp on fire or being attacked, but everything seemed completely normal. The only difference was the identical ecstatic looks on Lilykit and Frogkit's faces. Nightkit stared at them with confusion. She couldn't figure out what had gotten them so excited. However, she didn't need to ask. Her denmates seemed to think she couldn't answer anything on her own.

"We're going to become apprentices today!" Frogkit gasped breathlessly. Nightkit's jaw dropped. She was 6 moons already? She had never known- of course, she never socialized with the older warriors there either. She wouldn't have heard anything about an apprentice ceremony. Nightkit dug her paws into the mossy floor of the nursery and imagined them sinking into the soft earth of the newleaf forest. Opening her eyes, she noticed that Lilykit and Frogkit seemed to be imagining similar things, Lilykit was in a hunter's crouch and Frogkit was swiping at the air in mock battle moves.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the dark alder!" The familiar summons rang throughout the camp, and rustles from nearby told Nightkit that the warriors were emerging from their den. Lilykit let out a gasp of excitement and started forward, but jaws suddenly clamped around her scruff and pulled her back.

"Not yet, Lilykit!" Cedarsong announced, her voice muffled by her furious daughter. She cast a stern look at Frogkit, and averted her gaze back to Lilykit as if Nightkit was nothing more than a bit of stray moss. "You both need to be looking your best when you become apprentices! If you go out there looking like rats, it'll make a bad impression!" She placed Lilykit on the ground and started to clean her with repetitive licks. Frogkit wiggled slightly in annoyance as he waited for his turn.

Knowing Cedarsong would not clean her, Nightkit started to smooth her fur with furtive rasps. Her fur was stiff and tangled after moons of neglect, and as she struggled with a particularly large knot, she heard Cedarsong say, "Come along now, my dears!" Nightkit cast a resentful look toward her still ruffled fur and followed Lilykit, Frogkit, and Cedarsong outside.

The clan leader, Dawnstar, was standing on a particularly thick branch of the dark alder, her creamy brown fur sleek and smooth. Her green eyes surveyed every cat in the clearing with a penetrating gaze, and as it finally settled on Nightkit, a shiver rolled up the kitten's spine. Dawnstar was staring at her with slightly widened eyes, and her claws had been unsheathed, the tips peeking out of her fluffy yellow-orange pelt. She stared at Nightkit for what felt like an eternity, and then looked away. Nightkit still stared at Dawnstar. That was the same look Molepelt had given her.

"Today we are here to welcome three new apprentices." Dawnstar's voice rang out through the camp, and the few cats that had been talking fell silent at her words. The camp is blessed to tw-three such wonderful kits-"

Frogkit sneered at Nightkit.

"-this newleaf. Now they have reached six moons, and are ready to learn what being a warrior is all about. These kits' lives will be full of trials and suffering, but we can be sure that they will pull through will flying colors." Nightkit thought it was odd that Dawnstar mentioned "trials and suffering".

"Come forward." Nightkit's heart skipped a beat. Frogkit bounded forth, and Lilykit tottered after her brother. Nightkit, however, walked ahead slowly, having trouble putting each paw in front of the other. Every eye seemed to be trained on her, only her, nothing but little Nightkit, who couldn't possibly be able to become a warrior...

Nightkit could feel her eyes watering and started to break into a trot; the walk to the dark alder seemed to take forever, even though it had only taken several seconds in reality. Coming to a halt, she stared up at Dawnstar with the two other kits, fear in her eyes. Dawnstar fixed her gaze on Lilykit, and Nightkit heard her denmate take a shuddering gasp.

"Lilykit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Lilypaw. Your mentor will be Ashblaze." A gray speckled she-cat with fiery amber eyes stepped forward, and Nightkit noted that Lilypaw's cheeks were bulging like a chipmunk's with the effort of holding in her excitement. "Ashblaze, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Mousetail-" A brown tom with a pale tail dipped his head. "-and you have shown yourself to be brave and patient. You will be the mentor of Lilypaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

Ashblaze was so tall that Lilypaw had to strain her neck to brush noses with her new mentor. The two then stepped aside to allow Frogkit to leap forward in excitement. His green eyes were fixed on his clan leader, and he was clearly ready to hang onto her every word.

"Frogkit, you have also reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Frogpaw. Your mentor shall be Raventuft. Raventuft, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Sundapple and you have shown yourself to be intelligent and gallant. You will be the mentor of Frogpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him." A large black-furred tom with a white tuft of fur on his chest stepped forward to touch noses with Frogpaw. His apprentice touched his nose with ease, being larger than his sister.

Finally, Dawnstar looked down at Nightkit, and though she didn't do the same thing as before, there was something new in her eyes:

Fear.


	5. Chapter 4

Dawnstar tore her gaze away from Nightkit rather harshly, and started to speak to the crowd of warriors rather than the kit in front of her, who wondered why the clan leader of ShadowClan would fear a such a young cat that didn't have any powers or talent.

"Nightkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Nightpaw. Your mentor shall be Stormheart. Stormheart, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Snowleap and you have shown yourself to be strong and dedicated. You will be the mentor of Nightpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

Nightpaw stared blankly at Stormheart as he approached her with a proud stance. He held his gray calico head high, which made it extremely difficult for Nightpaw to reach his nose. He didn't lower it as she jumped repeatedly, and Nightpaw finally collided with it mid-jump, which sent pain flying through her nose. Stormheart didn't do as much as twitch a whisker, but she could hear Frogpaw snort.

Dawnstar nodded her head slightly, making her look like she was shaking off a fly, and the cats in the clearing broke into cheers.

"Lilypaw! Frogpaw! Nightpaw! Lilypaw! Frogpaw! Nightpaw!" Nightpaw's eyes flickered with sudden warmth. They hadn't forgotten her.

"Come on, Nightpaw!" Stormheart glared at his new apprentice. "We've got to get going or we'll never get through the territory!" Nightpaw started with surprise. The _whole_ territory? It had to be thousands of fox-lengths wide! She opened her mouth to argue, but something told her Stormheart wasn't a warrior to argue with. While Frogpaw and Lilypaw bounded to Cedarsong to greet her excitedly, Nightpaw trudged after Stormheart to the forbidding forest outside.

* * *

"...And this is the Carrionplace." Stormheart nudged to Nightpaw to aim her view at the massive mountains of twoleg rubbish. Towers of mud and decaying items littered the ground, and Nightpaw could hear countless paws pattering around, though she couldn't see the source. Nightpaw shuddered with revulsion as she looked at the scene.

"What is making that noise?" She asked. Stormheart answered almost immediately: "Rats," -Nightpaw took deep breaths in order to stop herself from retching- "they live near twoleg rubbish. Lucky for us, they decided to dump it all here. Never go in here unless escorted by a senior warrior." Looking very calm, he marched away from the area and approached a nearby ditch cautiously, his nose twitching. "These are the ratfields. It would not be advised for you to enter this area, either. However, we shall take a direct path through, to test your strength."

Nightpaw's eyes widened with horror. _Strength?_ She was only an apprentice, she barely had any strength- if a kittypet like her even had any at all. She opened her mouth but closed it for the second time that day and allowed Stormheart to guide her into the ditch. Almost at once they were ambushed by tiny creatures. They were like ugly, overgrown mice. Their patchy brown fur was missing in some places and their tails were completely bare; countless black eyes gleamed malevolently as they charged at the warrior and apprentice.

Stormheart raised a paw and sent it flying at one rat, making it crash into another. Not even pausing, he then closed his jaws around another and tossed it out of the ditch. He became a flurry of swipes as he attacked rat after rat, and Nightpaw couldn't help but be impressed. However, she had more important things to attend to. Though most of the rats were attempting to subdue her mentor (and failing miserably) she was still left will at least ten rats. They all attacked her at once, some going for her legs while others went higher. Nightpaw attempted to swipe them away, but she staggered and missed a rat several mouse-lengths away from her. A rat closed its jaws around her leg and pain was sent up it; Nightpaw's leg burned with agony and she dived at it, enjoying the warm gush of blood as her teeth sank into it. However, this victory was short lived. As the rat fell to the ground, another jumped on her neck and bit down hard. Everything started to go black and fuzzy, and Nightpaw stumbled around, trying to shake it off, but to no avail. Suddenly, Stormheart dashed up and dragged the rat off her. Nightpaw sank down to the ground gratefully.

"Get up, fuzzball!" Stormheart looked down at her disdainfully. "It's just a rat bite, nothing serious!" Nightpaw stood up, staggering as she tried to keep her balance, and realized her neck and leg were burning. She wasn't so sure she could trust her mentor's opinion on the problem.

* * *

Nightpaw stumbled into the camp numbly, her eyes glazed and her paws stained with mud. She was exhausted from everything that had happened that day, and was glad to finally be back in the camp. She walked towards the nursery, then stopped. Her gaze became a little brighter as she realized she slept in the apprentice den now. With a slight skip in her step, she headed towards it.

As soon as she got in, she saw that the other apprentices were waiting for her. Lilypaw, Frogpaw, and a brown speckled tom she didn't know the name of were nestled in their nests, and with a jolt, Nightpaw saw that there were only three mossy beds in the den.

"Sorry, Nightpaw!" said Lilypaw in fake sorry voice. "There were only three in here! Maybe you don't belong!"

Nightpaw turned around on the spot and rushed out of the den, her pain forgotten. She headed to the corner of the camp and grabbed some moss, then continuing to drag it to the apprentice den. She threw it into the farthest corner and sat down in it rather forcefully and fell asleep the moment her head hit the nest.

* * *

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter of Nightshadow's mistake! I actually made an accidental Harry Potter reference, see if you can find it! Also, start making some theories and show them to me! There are many things in this story that aren't what they seem...**


	6. Chapter 5

Nightpaw was walking through a forest at night, the moonlight creating dappled patterns on the grass. She reveled in the sweet scent of petals and the freedom. Bounding forward excitedly, she came to a halt at the edge. She was facing an open grassy plain, where the moon was clear and the StarClan warriors shimmered in the sky.

Something felt wrong. Nightpaw's eyes darted around, and the stars flickered, some disappearing completely. The apprentice turned around, her heart pounding, to face the safety of the woods. However, there was someone waiting for her. Ice-cold eyes glinted at her from a bush, getting closer and closer, though the cat made no sound as it moved through the grass. Nightpaw started to scramble back, but an excruciating pain danced through her paws, and she sank to the ground... But there was no ground...

And then she was falling through the void, empty, blackness pressing on every side of her, and she couldn't her anything except for one thing: The screaming of another cat. Nightpaw waved her paws wildly, trying to find solid ground, but her legs burned again, until the pain was almost unbearable, and the terrified yowls of the unseen cat continued relentlessly...

Nightpaw sat up, gasping. Her fur was covered with bits of moss, and as she looked down, she saw that it was caught in her claws, as well. Her nest had been torn apart, though the others around her remained untouched, as well as their still-sleeping owners. Peering out of the ferns that covered the entrance to the apprentice den, she saw that the horizon was tinged with pink, though the moon was still shining bright. The stars winked at her brightly, and Nightpaw relaxed. It had only been a dream. Then, she realized that she could still feel pain tingling in her legs, as well as her neck. She looked down at her legs to see that her rat bites had become infected overnight; they were now flushed with heat and glowing an angry red. Flinching in disgust, she limped across the clearing to the medicine cat's den.

She reached the medicine den and nudged the screen. "Hello?" She called in.

"Wuzzat?" A loud crash and a lot of rustling of leaves told her that Molepelt had woken up. A dark shadow rose up from inside the den and stumbled around it for a few moments wildly. He poked his head out, and Nightpaw realized that even though a moon had passed, Molepelt's fur looked just as disheveled as ever. Stifling a purr of laughter at the sight of him, she immediately jumped into telling him the story of her affliction. Of course, there were a few changes to it. It showed Stormheart as a hero and her as a klutz- so there wasn't really much difference between the two tales.

"...And then Stormheart jumped in and scared off all the rats," Nightpaw finished.

Molepelt turned around immediately and shuffled around in his den, grumbling about idiotic apprentices and dangerous places. He came out holding some ugly-looking roots in his mouth and dropped them in front of her. "Chew that into a pulp and rub it on your bites. Come back everyday for a checkup." Molepelt then shuffled into his den, tail swishing irritably and appearing to want to get out as soon as possible.

Nightpaw stared at the sky for several minutes, watching it slowly turn from pink to gold. She then picked up the roots and headed to the dirtplace, knowing only too well that her denmates would complain if she applied it to her bites in the apprentice den. The smell would probably be horrendous.

Wincing from the pain in her leg and neck, which had increased since she had left the den, she settled herself down in the dirtplace and started to chew the roots into a pulp in a shadowy corner. Nightpaw then spat it out, screwing up her eyes in disgust. The root tasted like a leaf rolled in trash. Choking on the stench, she gritted her teeth and applied it to the bites.

It hurt, but Nightpaw knew it could be worse. After finishing putting the poultice on her fur, she looked around, about to get out. However, a new noise coming from inside the camp made her freeze. Leaves were crunching slightly under the weight of a cat, who was steadily getting nearer. Nightpaw's eyes darted around, looking for a way out, but the cat was already in the dirtplace. Glancing around carefully, they wrinkled their nose as they smelled the burdock roots. Then, they crawled through a tiny hole in the camp was that was nearly invisible to Nightpaw in the darkness. Rustling in the forest told her that the cat had exited the camp into the forest, and, laden with suspicion, Nightpaw followed.


	7. Author's Note

**Hello everyone, thought I should add a little note here... You _might_ have noticed the lack of chapter uploads recently, but DO NOT FRET! I still care about this story! This is my baby Nightshadow you're talking about! D:**

 **The reason for the lack of chapters is that I am still planning out the story and rooting out the plot holes.**

 **"What?! NightAndCream? I thought you knew what you were doing!"**

 **:P I still do! Sort of... But this is the story of my OCs-**

 **oops spoilers... yes, there is more than one important OC in this story, and no it isn't stormheart**

 **This is the story of my OCs, and the reason I love writing it so much is because there is so much I haven't discovered about them. You and I will both be learning new things about them as we go along- I need to point out I haven't even decided who Night's parents are!**

 **I should not have said that.**

 **Anyhoo, other OCs will be making appearances in this story! This includes a she-cat who is, er, uh... How do I describe this...**

 **She's pink** **...**

 **Well, the next chapter will be posted soon! :)**

 **-Night and Cream**


	8. Chapter 6

**I have returned! :D Yes, yes, I am not dead, I am just lazy. Feel free to yell at me, I deserve it. It's been months and a bunch of stuff I had written down apparently expired. Whaddaya know.  
**

 **Well, I'm reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally sorry for the wait. I hope I can make up for it with this new chapter that is actually relatively long!**

 **yaaaay**

* * *

Nightpaw crept across the forest floor, careful not to let her tail brush the fallen leaves. She held her breath and walked slowly, afraid to make the single mistake that would give her away.

Her target padded lightly through the trees, not bothering to be quiet now that they were outside of the camp. Their nose sniffed the air hopefully. They seemed to be looking for something.

As they walked, Nightpaw noticed that the trees were thinning out. There should have been moonlight to light the path now, but there was no moon tonight. The darkness felt cold and unwelcoming, as if the forest was telling her to go away and stop butting into this cat's business. Nightpaw kind of agreed with the forest, but this was important. This cat could be a spy, or a killer, or a... uh...

Nightpaw ran out of ideas for things that her target could be doing just as they slowed down. The cat looked rather excited now- at least Nightpaw thought. She couldn't exactly tell what they looked like right now.

As she watched, the cat glanced around cautiously. Nightpaw closed her eyes and crouched down, thanking StarClan for her black and burdock root-scented fur. The cat's eyes passed over her and, deciding there was no threat, the cat pressed onward into a clearing. Nightpaw followed, filled with suspicion.

The cat entered a clearing. Nightpaw noticed that there was a gap in the trees where moonlight should have filtered in, but there was nothing. The forest was still as dark and empty as before. To brighten the mood, flowers were growing around the edges and willow trees blocked the area from view. _It must look beautiful in the day,_ Nightpaw thought.

"Goldenshine?" A voice whispered. Nightpaw nearly jumped in surprise as the cat she had been following spoke. It was a male, definitely, and their voice was young and clear. Their eyes searched the clearing hopefully.

 _Who was Goldenshine?_ Was Nightpaw's only thought. What was going on? Why was this cat meeting with this "Goldenshine"? This was a mystery, and Nightpaw was going to get to the bottom of it. Maybe if she found out what was going on, the cats in the clan would finally treat her nicely.

"I'm here." A female's words could be heard amid rustling as a second cat entered the clearing through the underbrush. Her voice sounded smooth and young, as though sweetened by honey. She carried a strange scent. It didn't smell like the pine and marsh scent that the ShadowClan cats held. Instead it smelled like flowers and the wind.

"I've missed you so much."

"So have I. If only we didn't have to meet if secret, maybe we could meet more, we could..."

"We could be together."

The male sighed. "I wish that was true, my love, but I'm afraid it must stay like this. With any luck, our clans will never know. We can stay in peace."

 _Our clans..._ Realization hit Nightpaw and she was filled with shock. _They're from different clans! They're going against the warrior code!_ This was it. This was her chance to prove she wasn't just a kittypet. If she revealed these traitors to the clans, she would be rewarded. There was only one problem- she couldn't take on these warriors on her own. She would have to wait and gather information. It would give her proof and it would give her time to gather her strength.

"Come and lie down. We can look at the stars." There was the sound of shifting leaves and dirt as the male settled down.

"This is nothing compared to the stars we see in WindClan!" Goldenshine purred quietly as she laid herself down next to her mate.

 _So the female is from WindClan,_ Nightpaw realized. _That's_ _why she smells different._

Nightpaw could feel the anticipation building up inside of her, and it took all of her determination to not leap out and yell accusations at the two cats.

"When can we meet again?" Goldenshine spoke.

"Already asking? We just got here!" The male sounded amused.

"I'm always one step ahead."

"That's just because you're faster than me."

There was a purr of amusement. Nightpaw smirked. They wouldn't be amused for much longer.

A breeze rustled the leaves of the trees, ruffling Nightpaw's fur slightly. Nightpaw's heart skipped a beat.

 _Wind._ What was it Stormheart had said about wind and your scent?

"Hm, smells like burdock root over there. Larkwing is running low, she'd be very grateful if I got some for her." Goldenshine was getting up.

"Go on and get some, I don't mind."

"Alright."

 _They were going to find her!_ Nightpaw threw caution to the winds and ran for it. She dashed between trees and through bushes, only stopping when she had reached the exit at the dirtplace. Panting, Nightpaw scanned the area. No one was there.

Nightpaw crawled through the hole in the dirtplace and collapsed in her nest. Tiny beams of sunshine were peeking through the trees, and Nightpaw realized it was practically dawn. She moaned quietly.

 _Stormheart is going to kill me..._

* * *

 **Hahaha okay that was not long at all**

 ***cries in shame***

 **Well, you got plot development! Congrats! Things are starting to get interesting... And in the next chapter, things get even MORE interesting! Nyeheheheh!**

 **To give you a sneak peak, I'll give you a line from the chapter:**

 _"Nightpaw hissed in agitation as someone bumped into her, presumably on purpose. 'Watch it!' she snapped, glaring at the cat who had bothered her._

 _'Sorry!' A voice squeaked back. Nightpaw looked down slightly, surprised to see a small, fluffy kit with cream-gold fur. Her ice-blue eyes stared at her with guilt and something else that she couldn't identify for a moment, because she had rarely seen it on anyone's face."_

 **Hmm, what could be happening here? :D**

 **I'd also like to announce that I'll start replying to your reviews! :D Any review posted after this chapter is posted will be replied to! If you don't want me to comment on your review, just tell me.**

 **The wait for the next chapter should not be as long :) I'll try not to go on another hiatus.**


	9. Announcement

**Hello, NightAndCream here! I wanted to let you know that I will be adding YOUR OCs to the story! Just message me their name, rank, clan, and any other little facts about them, and they will pop up somewhere in the story, 99% guaranteed!**

 **Try to avoid OCs that are deputies, medicine cats, or leaders, since I already know who those are. One or two new leaders or deputies can probably be covered up with a retirement or unfortunate death, but when the number gets past that people might start thinking there's a murderer on the loose c:**

 **Have fun!**

 **-NightAndCream**


	10. Chapter 7

The past moon had been grueling for Nightpaw. Stormheart had practically hammered the warrior code into her brain. Her day had become a set schedule: Wake up, practice hunting, hunt, practice fighting, fight, patrol, return to camp, eat, sleep, and repeat. Nightpaw had gotten used to it by now and hardly complained at all when Stormheart would say something along the lines of "go into the carrionplace and kill 15 rats" or "hunt 10 animals before the day is over." The tall orders had become routine for the young apprentice.

Nightpaw couldn't help wondering if Dawnstar approved of what Stormheart was doing. Others might refer to it as tough love, but Nightpaw thought it was more like tough luck. Of course, maybe she felt that a kittypet like her needed extra work. Or maybe...

Nightpaw remembered the look of fear on Dawnstar's face. Was it possible that she was trying to keep an eye on her? Maybe something similar? Nightpaw wouldn't put it past Dawnstar to do something like that. The leader of ShadowClan didn't trust many cats, and her heart belonged to ShadowClan. If she considered Nightpaw to be a threat, she would do something about it. Yet her leader was sensible and rational, so keeping an eye on her like this sounded like something she would do.

"NIGHTPAW! NIGHTPAW, WAKE UP!"

Nightpaw lifted her head, her thoughts expelled by the noise that sounded almost as loud as the roaring of the thunderpath.

"I'm awake, I'm awake!" she moaned. She got to her paws and looked around for the source of the voice, tracing it back to Lilypaw, who was bursting with excitement, her cheeks puffed. Nightpaw couldn't help remembering that even though she was seven moons old, she still hadn't lost that chipmunk-ish look. However, Lilypaw had definitely grown. Her kitten fluff was disappearing, and strong limbs were starting to be revealed. Lilypaw would become a quick and powerful warrior.

"IT'S OUR FIRST GATHERING, FUZZBALL!" But for now, she was still a brash apprentice.

Nightpaw's exhaustion disappeared. "We're going to a gathering?" she asked breathlessly.

"YES, IDIOT! COME ON!" Lilypaw nearly tripped on her way out of the apprentice's den. Nightpaw followed more cautiously.

Half the clan was gathered in the clearing of the ShadowClan camp, muttering anxiously and excitedly. Nightpaw darted into the throng, listening to conversations.

"ThunderClan have been setting their markers closer to the Thunderpath than usual," murmured Stormysky, a white speckled black queen. "I think they're getting edgy."

"Why," said Vineeyes mockingly, swishing his black and white tail, "are they _scared_ of us?"

"You are not going to the gathering in that state," Hollowbelly, the new medicine cat apprentice, snapped, staring sternly at Sparrowfeather, a heavily pregnant spotted brown queen.

"I'm fine," she huffed. "I'll make it!"

Hollowbelly flicked his black ears. "No you won't. Go rest in the nursery with Yellowflower."

Sparrowfeather stomped off, narrowly missing Nightpaw, who dashed away deeper into the cluster of cats.

Dawnstar leaped to the front of the group. "Follow me!" she commanded, and they left for the gathering.

* * *

The ShadowClan cats crossed the Thunderpath in small groups. Nightpaw was stuck with Frogpaw, Lilypaw, and the other apprentice, a speckled brown tom whose name Nightpaw had learned was Oakpaw.

Nightpaw watched closely as the first group, made up of Vineeyes, Stormheart, and Snaketail, crossed the Thunderpath.

They waited as a monster rushed past, paused to listen for any more monsters, and then charged. Snaketail, the ShadowClan deputy, led them across the Thunderpath. The moment they reached the other side, a bright red monster roared by. Nightpaw's heart caught in her throat.

"They do this every moon?" She asked Lilypaw, her eyes wide. "It's so dangerous!"

"But that's what being a warrior is all about, isn't it?" Lilypaw replied as their group was called to cross the Thunderpath, "Danger."

There was a slight pause as a monster rumbled by them. Then, without stopping to listen for another, Lilypaw streaked across the Thunderpath.

Nightpaw screamed. "Lilypaw, WAIT!"

It was too late. Another monster flew down the Thunderpath. It struck a glancing blow on Lilypaw, sending her flying. She landed on the other side of the Thunderpath and lay there, not moving.

Nightpaw glanced up and down the Thunderpath and then charged across, Frogpaw and Oakpaw right behind her. They headed straight for Lilypaw, but Cedarsong was already beside her kit. She saw them coming and stood in front of the apprentice's body.

"Stay away from my kit!" she snarled.

Nightpaw and the others backed away, looking startled.

"Calm down, Cedarsong." Dawnstar had crossed the Thunderpath. Her voice sounded calm, but she walked stiffly with her fur bristling, giving away her shock at what had happened.

"Molepelt?" Dawnstar called for the medicine cat, who pushed through the crowd of cats gathering at the edge of the Thunderpath as the rest of the clan hurriedly crossed the black path.

Molepelt placed a paw on Lilypaw's chest, and there was a pause as the entire clan held its breath. Then...

Molepelt grunted, "She's alive. Just broken bones. I'll bring her back to camp and take care of her."

Dawnstar nodded and the medicine cat lifted Lilypaw up onto his back and carried her away, back towards the camp.

Nightpaw let out a long sigh of relief. _Lilypaw wasn't dead!_ Nightpaw had been so afraid. She didn't exactly like Lilypaw, but Nightpaw wouldn't have been able to bear it if she had died. Nightpaw hated to admit it, but she did care for the annoying fuzzball.

Dawnstar looked rather dazed with relief. "Alright everyone, let's keep going." She trotted towards the Gathering, and the rest of the relieved clan followed.

* * *

Fourtrees was amazing. Nightpaw couldn't speak as she saw the cats gathered in the hollow, surrounded by four giant oaks. The three leaders of the other clans - ThunderClan, WindClan, and RiverClan - were already on the Great Rock. They looked down on the other cats imperiously, and Nightpaw felt a shiver go up her spine as she waited for Dawnstar to give the signal.

There was a moment of silence, and then Dawnstar flicked her tail. On her command, ShadowClan charged down the slope excitedly, scattering upon reaching the hollow. The cats spread out, dashing over to their acquaintances in other clans, or trying to get a good spot close to the Great Rock.

Nightpaw bounded down the slope, waving her tail. She barely slowed down as she reached the clearing. In all the excitement, she didn't notice a cat coming towards her.

Nightpaw hissed in agitation as someone bumped into her, presumably on purpose.

"Watch it!" she snapped, glaring at the cat who had bothered her.

"Sorry!" A voice squeaked back. Nightpaw looked down slightly, surprised to see a small, fluffy kit with cream-gold fur. Her ice-blue eyes stared at her with guilt and something else that she couldn't identify for a moment, because she had rarely seen it on anyone's face.

After a moment Nightpaw realized it was fear.

"No," Nightpaw said sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

The kit grinned. Nightpaw smiled back.

There was a small pause and then Nightpaw decided she had two options: leave or talk. Since this kit would probably be her best chance at conversation all night, she started talking.

"My name is Nightpaw," Nightpaw told the kit. "What's your name?"

"My name is Creampaw!" The kit squeaked.

Nightpaw was surprised. Creampaw looked rather young to be an apprentice. "How old are you?" Nightpaw questioned.

"6 moons," Creampaw answered promptly. She bounced excitedly. "I just became an apprentice yesterday!"

"And you're going to a Gathering already?" Nightpaw asked. "I had to wait a moon until I could come!"

"Maybe you were made an apprentice a few days after a gathering, and you had to wait a moon for the next one!"

Nightpaw had to admit Creampaw made a good point. Her small bits of paranoia about this had been for nothing.

"What clan are you from?" Nightpaw decided to continue.

"WindClan!" Creampaw answered. "What clan are _you_ in?"

Nightpaw purred. She loved the energy and kindness that radiated off the kit in waves. She decided she could use a bit of fun, too.

Nightpaw hopped a few paces away from Creampaw and struck a dramatic pose, crouching down and waving her tail as if she were hunting prey, yet she stuck her tongue out to ruin the mood. "ShadowClan!" she exclaimed.

Creampaw's eyes widened. "ShadowClan? Really?"

Nightpaw's face fell. She should have known that the clans would have this sort of attitude toward ShadowClan. The other clans had always had strong feelings toward them, considering them to be sneaky, sly, and no good. Not to mention the fact that they ate frogs, which was probably the strangest thing on the menu for them.

Nightpaw decided to put down this attitude by joking around. "Yeah," she purred, "I'm kind of surprised you didn't realize it yet. Our names kind of give us away. Night, Swamp, Sparrow, Snake, Mole, Frog, Lily..." Nightpaw trailed off, realizing she was really bad at joking.

Creampaw smiled. "Silly, I don't care what clan you're from! We can still have fun!"

Relief spread through Nightpaw.

A loud yowl echoed through the clearing, signalling the start of the gathering. Creampaw and Nightpaw bounded through the throng and pushed past several cats, ignoring the hisses and mutters. They settled down at the front and looked up at the four leaders in awe.

"Which one is the leader of ShadowClan?" Creampaw breathed, as quiet as possible.

"Dawnstar. She's the cream brown one." Nightpaw answered, her voice low. "Who's the leader of WindClan?"

"Swiftstar. He's the black cat. Do you know who the others are?"

Nightpaw vaguely shook her head as the leaders started to speak.

A dark ginger tom stepped to the front of the Great Rock.

"I will start off the gathering by announcing that ThunderClan have appointed two new apprentices: Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw."

A dark brown tabby tom and a dappled tortoiseshell she-cat near the front of the crowd nodded and looked embarassed. Nightpaw assumed they were siblings.

Dawnstar and the other leaders looked tense as the ThunderClan leader mentioned Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw, but they relaxed as he continued.

"In addition, our apprentice Sparkpaw fought valiantly in the recent battle against RiverClan. He has earned his warrior name of Sparkclaw."

The cheers of _Sparkclaw!_ Rang through the hollow for several seconds, then died away. Nightpaw noticed that Sparkclaw, an orange tabby, didn't look happy with the attention. He stared at the ground, his ears flattened. The ThunderClan leader continued.

"Unfourtunately, one of our warriors, Mouseeyes, died in that same battle. He was Sparkclaw's mentor."

 _Oh,_ Nightpaw realized, _That's why Sparkclaw looks upset._

The leader of RiverClan stepped to the front of the group. Her blue eyes were filled with irritation.

"As Redstar has already stated, there was a battle between RiverClan and ThunderClan only a few days ago."

A bob-tailed black cat rolled her amber eyes. "Was it over Sunningrocks again, Birchstar?" she snorted.

There were several amused murmurs.

Birchstar's blue eyes flashed. She glared at Swiftstar. "You should give your warriors a lesson in manners sometime!" she snapped.

Swiftstar, a black cat who had thinned with age, glared at Birchstar. "At least we know to stay on our own territory. It sounds like RiverClan is getting a little too bold for their own good."

Birchstar let out a low growl, but she knew better than to take Swiftstar's bait. She continued to address the crowd as though the exchange between leaders had never occurred.

"The battle was over..." Birchstar paused, something like regret glinting her her eyes. "some _unused_ territory by the Twolegplace."

A light brown tabby she-cat looked sad at the mention of the territory. "A few moons since they left," she murmured, "and we're already fighting over their territory."

Dawnstar and Swiftstar suddenly looked like hawks that had spotted prey.

Dawnstar spoke. "May I ask who won the battle?"

Birchstar hissed. "No one won the battle. The territory is to be left alone."

Nightpaw felt like the tension in the air had evaporated.

Birchstar continued, "There were only two casualties: Snowpaw and Mudpelt."

The crowd murmured in sympathy.

Swiftstar stepped to the front of the group as the mutters faded away.

"Luckily there have been no recent fatalities in WindClan." Swiftstar said, his voice calm. "The rabbits still run despite the seasons turning to leaf-fall, and we prosper."

At Swiftstar's last words, the other leaders seemed to become angry.

Redstar was the first to speak up.

"Several gatherings ago, I believe you said you can barely feed your own clan."

Swiftstar glared at Redstar.

"Times change. Now, in addition, we have a new apprentice: Creampaw."

There were half-hearted cheers from the crowd. Next to Nightpaw, Creampaw looked rather sad.

Nightpaw paused. The first lines of the warrior code rang in her ears mockingly.

 _You may have friendships with cats from other Clans, but your loyalty must remain to your Clan, as one day you may meet them in battle._

 _Then I'm not doing anything wrong,_ Nightpaw silently argued.

And she cheered louder than any of the others.

* * *

 **HOW I MADE THIS CHAPTER**

 **Me: Hmmmmm, I need to create some tension in the clans...**

 ***stares ominously at pile of readers' OCs***

 ***picks up a knife***

 **peeeerrrrfect**

* * *

 **So, how do you guys like this chapter? It's longer than usual, as you may have noticed. Just for you! :) Keep an eye out for the next chapter!**

* * *

 **ADDITIONAL NOTE (what, you thought I was done?):**

 **I will be fixing up some of the chapters with plot holes, nothing really major, but I would suggest rereading the end of the first chapter if you read it before the update.**


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